Texas EV registration fee
$400 the first year, $200 after, charged on top of the normal registration fee.
How it works
Texas charges a $400 registration on a new EV, then $200 every year at renewal. It is a flat fee — vehicle price and miles driven do not enter into it. Revenue goes to the state highway fund.
Plug-in hybrids are not charged this fee in Texas.
What it adds up to
Over ten years of ownership the surcharge alone comes to $2,000, before the ordinary registration tax — which every vehicle pays. Compare that with what the same car saves in fuel tax: at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles a year, an average gasoline car burns about 480 gallons, and the federal fuel tax alone is 18.4 cents a gallon.
The point is not that the fee is unfair. It is that the "EVs are cheaper to run" calculation has a second line most buyers never look at, and in a high-fee state that line can absorb a year's worth of charging savings.
Source
Related
Texas window tint limits · Texas inspection rules
What charging costs in Texas: charging cost by state →
Checked November 2026.